By Donna-Marie Rowe, ContributorMigration, for whatever reason, is never easy even if it is from one parish to another. Similarly, migrating from a home church to another, is equally challenging for a number of Christians, especially students.
During this back-to-school period, tertiary students are currently beginning to settle in their new homes away from home on the various campuses around the island as well as overseas. Additionally, there are others who have moved to urban areas to secure employment and to attend school part-time.
Nineteen-year-old Sherika Gray, first year Biochemistry student at one of our universities, concurs that it is indeed a trying time for students as they seek to hold on to their Christian virtues and values.
"There are Christian groups and Christian friends who are very encouraging and this helps so that I know I'm not alone," she said, adding that without Christian friends, you can feel quite alone.
The period of adjustment varies according to the differences or similarities that are evident in the new church surroundings and is equally dependent on the support that the young person is given from both family and community.
There is no doubt though that like it or not, students must adjust and quickly too, or they will be carried away by the tide of endless studying and campus social life to the detriment of their spiritual growth and development.
Migration therefore should be seen as an opportunity to grow, develop and mature in God, as life will present many challenges while you are on your own. The period is an excellent opportunity for testimonies of God's greatness once you acknowledge your experiences as sent from God for your maturity.
If you were an active member of an assembly, you may be struggling with guilty pangs that tug at your heart for having to leave and resettle elsewhere. Persons close to you will express openly their sadness at seeing you go. Others may avoid you, not knowing what to say, while still others will ask if you really must to go. Therefore, while most Christian students welcome the opportunity to attend a tertiary institution, some do so with trepidation, not knowing what awaits them spiritually.
Thankfully on most campuses there are Christian campus groups that provide a support system for Christian students. Some groups, such as the University and Colleges Apostolic Ministry (UCAM), meets week days at lunch-time on the campus of the University of Technology (UTech), while others such as the University and Colleges Christian Fellowship (UCCF), meet on Thursdays when there are free sessions specially designed to accommodate clubs and extra-curricular activities.
Sherika Wallace, who is from Calvary Missionary Church in St. Thomas, attends UCCF, which is a group of Christian students from different denominations. Meetings are held every Thursday at 1:30 p.m. at the University of the West Indies (Mona) campus.
UCCF has prayer groups during the week as well as social groups such as sign language that people can join.
"The sessions are usually interesting," Wallace notes, explaining that there is a praise session, games, and discussions on topical issues.
"I remember at one time they had a discussion on leadership," she adds.
Wallace says, "Once in a while, I go to church in Kingston."
Marcia McFarlane, first-year law student, who migrated from Manchester four years ago, explains that UCAM, "...has a different atmosphere from church." She says that at UCAM, students testify to their peers of how God has provided for them on hall and "we share victories about our grades in a student setting."
"UCAM functions as a fellowship and a source of strength for persons who have migrated from the rural to urban areas," she notes. "It provides a sense of belonging -- to be amongst fellow believers who might be from different parishes. But our belief makes us one," 23-year-old McFarlane adds. UCAM meets from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. every Thursday as well, while prayer meetings are held every morning from 7:30 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. and then from 8:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. in the chapel gardens.
Many spiritual encounters have taken place in these sessions, resulting in conversion from a life of sin to one that is committed to living for the cause of Jesus Christ.
But what happens on weekends? Do students bother to attend church then? If there was ample networking before the migration, the student may be advised as to which assembly to attend on weekends. As a result, it is not strange to see a host of students don their Saturday or Sunday best, waiting at bus stops or trekking across the campuses to attend church.
McFarlane says that many students go to church on weekends. It is clear that spiritual connection with others of like faith is therefore very important to Christian students.
But a number of differences between rural and urban assemblies will become immediately clear to the ardent worshipper. Some rural churches tend to start their services later in the day while those in the urban townships have made a commitment to their congregation that persons will be on their way home earlier to facilitate attendance at night services. This is not to say night services are not held in the rural areas; however, they end much at later times. Some students will notice that if they stick to the times that they are accustomed to from home, they will only be in time to catch the benediction.
Additionally, congregation size may be intimidating to students. Urban assemblies tend to be larger than some rural assemblies and whereas some young people were vibrant and active in their home church, they find that in the city, they have been absorbed in the crowd. And, school schedules hardly allow for much more time to be spent on church activities anyway.
So the question arises: Are Christian students merely churchgoers on weekends, having migrated from home?
Based on the large gatherings at the Christian campus group activities, it is fair to say that Christian students are recognising that their purpose for attending a tertiary institution is not limited to book work. Rather, they are seeing that as a member of the campus community, this places them in strategic positions to have a positive impact on those around them including their lecturers. Once they accept their God-given mandate to be effective witnesses of the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ, they are a mighty army to be seen on campus, making a difference in their deportment, language, dress, and good grades. The church activity of strong Christian students, therefore, has become evangelising their campus and providing support to others as they settle in a new home away from home.
